At the Nov. 1 meeting of the Student Government Association (SGA), three new representatives were sworn in. Joanna Bolstad was sworn in as the Cook-Cole College of Arts and Sciences representative, Alex Waldron was sworn in as the freshman class vice president and Karen Nirschl was sworn in as the Honor Board representative.
During the open forum, SGA President Brandon Fry assured the Senate the discussion of using residential halls to house families for graduation was still in progress, and details should be coming out soon. Another senator brought forward a complaint about a surplus of trash in the runoff pound.
A senator brought a complaint about how dark it is getting on campus in the evenings. The lights on campus are on a timer, and since daylight savings time does not occur until next week the timers are not recognizing that it's dark and coming on. Another senator clarified that they are looking to switch the system over to a computerized system, which would allow them more flexibility in changing the lights. In the mean time, any student concerned about the darkness can call campus police at 434-395-2091.
Another senator asked on behalf of a student where the parking fees come from. Longwood leases several of the parking lots for the campus. They take the rent of those leases, divide it by the approximant number of students parking in the lots, and that money funnels into the cost of a parking pass for the student, as well as cost for maintaining the parking lots.
In Fry's executive report, he gave an update on the president's list. In order to be eligible for president's list, a student must achieve all A's. Grades of "A minus" do not count in the GPA for president's list.
The constitution for Skate Club came up, but there was some confusion. The club, which is advised by Longwood University Police Officer James Thorpe, plans on hosting some competitions for its members. Usually clubs that host competitions go through the Sports Club Council. Many senators feel like the club would be a great addition to the campus, but others would prefer for it to go through Sports Club Council before a decision is made. The discussion was tabled for the time being.
The Legislative Affairs Committee is looking to add a representative from the nursing program to Senate. Virginia21 stated that they got 817 signatures for their "What's Your Number" petition, but they are pushing to reach 1,000. Longwood is in the top three schools for signatures, along with James Madison University and Old Dominion University.
A total of $2920 was allocated to Camertta Singers for their spring recruitment tour. As well as performing at various locations, they take admissions materials to high schools to get students interested in the university. Also, $208.44 was allocated to the National Association of Music Educators. The organization originally wanted to send 15 students to a conference, but under SFC bylaws the SGA does not fund that many participants. As a compromise, the SGA is funding two rooms for the organization to use as they wish.
The next SGA meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 3:45 p.m. in the BC rooms of Lankford Student Union. All students are encouraged to attend.
